WFMT’s Carl Grapentine faces ‘very long recovery process’

Carl Grapentine

Carl Grapentine

It’s been nearly a year since Carl Grapentine fell and ruptured his quadriceps tendon. Now the veteran morning host at classical WFMT FM 98.7 has done it again.

Grapentine, 64, said he’ll undergo surgery on both legs Monday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. After that, he expects to be in rehab for several months.

“As some of you know, I was going to have my left quadriceps tendon repaired again as soon as my football/travel season was over,” he wrote on Facebook Sunday. “But on Thursday at work, I fell when my left knee failed — and I ruptured the OTHER quad! Tomorrow morning I will have both tendons/knees repaired and begin a very long recovery process. I'll have thigh-to-ankle casts on both legs for at least eight weeks before rehab can even begin. So I will be placed in a skilled nursing/rehab location for several months — don't know where yet. Praying for healing — and patience!”

It may not be that long before WFMT listeners hear Grapentine again. Before his latest injury, he and his bosses discussed the possibility of broadcasting from his home during recovery. “The new ‘daily double’ operation changes the equation a bit, but it's definitely in the plans,” he wrote. “Stay tuned, as they say.”

Last December Grapentine was out of commission for four weeks after rupturing his quadriceps tendon in a slip and fall on ice.

Except for a six-year stint at the former WNIB, Grapentine has been hosting mornings on the Window to the World Communications station since 1986. The Michigan native doubles as the stadium voice for the University of Michigan Wolverines.